He said this was because if Najib could come to the Dewan Rakyat to participate in debates, he could surely attend his trials.

“It is very strange that his trials have stopped but the convict can be present in Parliament to deliver his speech,” Mahathir said during the debate on the Budget 2021 proposals today.

The Langkawi MP said court proceedings could go on with fewer observers and media members and conducted with 1m social distancing in the courtroom.

With a hint of sarcasm, Mahathir said if the authorities were to wait for Covid-19 to end, it could take years, and Najib could move around freely.

Najib, who was also prime minister from April 2009 to May 2018, is currently facing two 1MDB-related trials.

Due to the imposition of the conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Kuala Lumpur from Oct 14 to Dec 6, both cases have been vacated.

Najib’s 1MDB trial is now scheduled to resume on Dec 14.

He faces 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering over alleged 1MDB funds amounting to RM2.28 billion deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

Najib’s 1MDB audit report tampering trial scheduled for Nov 30 is also unlikely to proceed as it is within the CMCO period. Former 1MBD CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy is accused of abetting him.

On July 28, the High Court found Najib, who is also Pekan MP, guilty of seven counts of corruption in relation to RM42 million belonging to SRC International.

He was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and fined RM210 million for abuse of power and 10 years on each of the three counts of criminal breach of trust and money laundering.

Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, however, ordered the jail terms to run concurrently, which means Najib will serve 12 years in jail.

Najib, who has filed an appeal in the Court of Appeal, is out on bail and Article 48(4)(b) of the Federal Constitution states he can remain an MP until he exhausts his appeal at the Federal Court.